The Early Culture: Outdoor Fountains
The Early Culture: Outdoor Fountains Archaeological excavations in Minoan Crete in Greece have exposed some kinds of conduits. They were used for water supply as well as removal of storm water and wastewater. The primary components utilized were rock or terracotta. Terracotta was employed for canals and pipes, both rectangular and round.
The cone-like and U-shaped terracotta piping that were found haven’t been detected in any other society. Clay pipes were employed to circulate water at Knossos Palace, running up to three meters beneath the flooring. The piping also had other applications including amassing water and conveying it to a central area for storage. To make this conceivable, the piping had to be created to handle: Below ground Water Transportation: This system’s unseen nature may mean that it was actually manufactured for some type of ritual or to distribute water to restricted groups. Quality Water Transportation: Some historians feel that these pipelines were used to build a different distribution system for the castle.
Where did Fountains Begin?
Where did Fountains Begin? A fountain, an incredible piece of engineering, not only supplies drinking water as it pours into a basin, it can also propel water high into the air for an extraordinary effect.From the onset, outdoor fountains were simply there to serve as functional elements. Cities, towns and villages made use of nearby aqueducts or springs to provide them with potable water as well as water where they could bathe or wash. Until the late 19th, century most water fountains operated using gravity to allow water to flow or jet into the air, therefore, they needed a supply of water such as a reservoir or aqueduct located higher than the fountain. Acting as an element of adornment and celebration, fountains also provided clean, fresh drinking water. The main components used by the Romans to create their fountains were bronze or stone masks, mostly depicting animals or heroes. Muslims and Moorish garden designers of the Middle Ages included fountains to re-create smaller models of the gardens of paradise. The fountains found in the Gardens of Versailles were intended to show the power over nature held by King Louis XIV of France.
The Romans of the 17th and 18th centuries created baroque decorative fountains to glorify the Popes who commissioned them as well as to mark the spot where the restored Roman aqueducts entered the city.
Indoor plumbing became the main source of water by the end of the 19th century thereby restricting urban fountains to mere decorative elements. Fountains using mechanical pumps instead of gravity allowed fountains to bring recycled water into living spaces as well as create special water effects.
These days, fountains decorate public areas and are used to recognize individuals or events and fill recreational and entertainment needs.